Newborn Infant Howler Electrocuted

Mario was only a few days old when he was rescued and he’s already suffered the pain of electrocution and the loss of his mother. With his silver fur and umbilical cord attached, he is the smallest newborn we have ever had at Refuge for Wildlife.

The tip of his tiny tail was completely severed and because the rest of his tail was severely damaged with burns, inflammation, and torn muscles, it quickly became necrotic and needed to be amputated. Mario was given immediate medical treatment at our clinic which includes pain management medication, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and soothing burn cream.  Sadly, this tiny infant has spent the first several weeks of his life inside our incubator clinging on tightly to furry teddy bears and soothing hot water bottles which are used as a surrogate mother.

The prognosis for electrocuted monkeys is not good. External wounds may be treated; however, the internal damage can be very serious and slower to manifest. Electrocution injuries have a deleterious biochemical affect on the bodies of mammals, which can lead to irreversible organ damage. Of the monkeys brought to the clinic, approximately two-thirds succumb to their terrible injuries. Due to his young age and the severity of his injuries, we were certain that Mario would not survive more than a few days, but he’s a fighter and has surprised all of us. 

Prevention is the only way to ensure other infants do not suffer the same fate.  Learn more about our Stop the Shocks program and make a donation to help us end this preventable problem.